Michal Handzus

It shouldn't have been this difficult. But these are the Kings, after all, and no gain comes easily to them. Michal Handzus' shot from just above the left circle 55 seconds into overtime gave the Kings a 5-4 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday, allowing them to save face after losing a three-goal lead in the third period. It also allowed them to more enthusiastically enjoy Anze Kopitar's first career hat trick, which he had completed in the second period. Yet, they couldn't forgive themselves for a rally by a Dallas team that was playing its second game in two nights.

Dustin Brown doesn't recall much about the only nine-game winning streak in the Kings' history, a run that began on Jan. 21, 2010, and extended through Feb. 6 of that year. The Kings can match that club record Thursday night with a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Staples Center. “The one game I remember in that streak was in Jersey. We were down I think 2-0, and Zeus scored a goal late in the second and then we scored a goal with a minute left and Dewy scored with like 10 seconds left,” Brown said, referring to teammates Michal Handzus and Drew Doughty.

When the Kings stepped onto the ice at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon, they were greeted by a sellout crowd waving signs that read "We Believe." When they skated off 2 1/2 hours later, they left to a raucous standing ovation. But the big news is what happened in between, when the Kings rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, setting a franchise record with their ninth consecutive win. Which, according to Coach Terry Murray, is nothing more than a good start.

SAN JOSE - Neatly framed but almost forgotten, a front page from the San Jose Mercury News sits against the wall in a room above the Sharks' practice rink. The newspaper photograph depicts a coach and two players, and the headline is bold: "Contenders for the Cup. " The players are goaltender Arturs Irbe and forward Sergei Makarov and the coach is Kevin Constantine. The year was 1994 and the eighth-seeded Sharks, in only their third season, were the darlings of the NHL for upsetting the No. 1 Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the No. 2 Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.

VS. ST. LOUIS When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1260. Records: Kings 25-16-3, Blues 17-19-7. Record vs. Blues: 1-0-1. Update: After opening their seven-game homestand with a 2-1 loss to the Red Wings on Thursday, the Kings will change two of their lines. Oscar Moller will move up to the third line with Alexander Frolov and Michal Handzus, and Brandon Segal will play on the fourth line with Raitis Ivanans and Jarret Stoll.

KINGS TONIGHT AT CHICAGO When: 5:30 PST Where: United Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 39-22-4, Blackhawks 43-17-5. Record vs. Blackhawks: 1-1-0. Update: Winger Justin Williams, who broke his ankle Dec. 26, got medical clearance to practice all-out and accompanied the team on this trip to get in some hard practices. His return will depend on how his ankle responds to the increased workload. Michal Handzus has 12 points in his last 12 games on five goals and seven assists.

OTTAWA -- Cory Clouston didn't exactly get off to a fast start with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. Michal Handzus scored in the third period and the Kings ruined Clouston's first game as Ottawa's coach with a 1-0 victory. Jonathan Quick made 29 saves to record his third shutout of the season and improve to 4-1-0 in his last five starts. It was the first time he had faced the Senators. "You had to expect them to come out with a bit of jump with the new coach there," Quick said.

Location, location, location. Not only is Kings center Michal Handzus coming off a serious knee injury and surgery that limited him to eight games with Chicago last season, he had tonsillitis over the summer and lost 15 pounds. Then there is another factor in his Kings' transition: simple relocation. "Let's face it. Anybody that moves to a new organization, it doesn't click like that," Coach Marc Crawford said Thursday.

The Philadelphia Flyers left with a 3-0 victory and maybe a chance at Ray Bourque too. Eric Lindros returned to the lineup with a goal and an assist on Saturday as the Flyers defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-0, at Boston in what might have been Bourque's last game as a Bruin. The Flyers are among the teams rumored to be bidding for the 18-time All-Star and five-time Norris Trophy winner. "Who wouldn't want him?

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: HP Pavilion. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 6-4-3, Sharks 7-4-1. Update: The Kings will be seeing a familiar face, former teammate Michal Handzus, who went north after playing four seasons in Los Angeles. He has three points in 12 games. San Jose is coming off an overtime loss to Nashville on Saturday, having squandered a 3-1 third-period lead. --Lisa Dillman

After watching rivals celebrate major accomplishments twice in the past three games, the Kings are in position again to do some rejoicing of their own. A victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday at Staples Center would guarantee the Kings a playoff spot, a goal they were denied when they lost at San Jose and Dallas won twice. The Western Conference standings shifted again Tuesday when Nashville beat Atlanta and climbed to fourth, bumping the Coyotes and Kings to fifth and sixth, respectively.

Center Anze Kopitar is not injured. Nor is illness the reason he has no goals in his past 10 games and two in his last 25. "Everything's good," he said. Except that scoring drought. "No," he said, "that's awful. " Hoping to stir Kopitar out of his doldrums, Coach Terry Murray mixed up his lines again for Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals. Kopitar will center for Michal Handzus and the also-slumping Wayne Simmonds , who has no goals in his last 10 games and one in 18. Rookie Andrei Loktionov moves from left wing to his natural center spot, between Kyle Clifford and Dustin Brown . The reliable Ryan Smyth - Jarret Stoll - Justin Williams line remains intact and the fourth line is likely to again be made up of Alexei Ponikarovsky , Trevor Lewis and Kevin Westgarth . "It's one of those days again with different line combos.

Maybe it's time to stop saying the Kings are in a slump after their sizzling 12-3 start. Maybe the way they've been playing lately is who they really are, a punchless group that easily concedes its end of the ice and is frittering away an eight-game homestand. There was no other conclusion Thursday after their meek 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, who lost at Anaheim on Wednesday and were winless in five games. The Blues weren't winless when they left Staples Center. The Kings gave them free passage through all three zones and probably handed over the keys to the Zamboni too. Who are the real Kings?

After stringing together a zigzagging series of streaks, the Kings hit the halfway point of the season Saturday grappling for balance and consistency. By bouncing from one extreme to another they provided few clues about how the rest of the season will unfold or about which of the faces they presented will prevail. Will it be the team that had the sensational start built around exemplary home penalty killing and a cohesive team defensive game in front of a sharp Jonathan Quick? Or will it be the Kings who lost seven of eight games from mid-November through mid-December and took a season-worst five-game losing streak into Saturday night's game against Columbus at Staples Center?

Even by the standards of itchy-fingered Coach Terry Murray , this was a significant shakeup. Hoping to stir his team out of a four-game losing streak, Murray revamped his top three lines for Thursday's game against Nashville. Players found out when they saw the color-coded jerseys in their locker stalls Wednesday. "The blender's out, eh?" left wing Ryan Smyth said, smiling. Left wing Marco Sturm , described by Murray as "still going through training camp and behind the play," was dropped from the top (purple)

After watching rivals celebrate major accomplishments twice in the past three games, the Kings are in position again to do some rejoicing of their own. A victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday at Staples Center would guarantee the Kings a playoff spot, a goal they were denied when they lost at San Jose and Dallas won twice. The Western Conference standings shifted again Tuesday when Nashville beat Atlanta and climbed to fourth, bumping the Coyotes and Kings to fifth and sixth, respectively.

Are the Kings victims of bad bounces and worse luck or simply not good enough to compete with the NHL's elite? They'll have a day off Tuesday to ponder that. Certainly they can use the time to decide if they ever intend to win during an eight-game homestand that continued Monday with a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center. The Kings are 0-3 in this stretch and have lost four straight games overall, matching their longest winless streak this season. They lost all four games of their season series against the defending Stanley Cup champions not because the Blackhawks are infinitely better ?

It appears Scott Parse's return to the Kings' lineup has been short-lived. The forward will undergo hip surgery next week and is expected to be out three to four months, the Kings said Tuesday. Brad Richardson will move up to the top line alongside Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar . Coach Terry Murray said he noticed Parse wasn't playing up to speed in Monday's 6-3 loss to San Jose and had kept him on the bench for the entire third period. "I was just not seeing the kind of player I was hoping to see," Murray said.